The Struggle
by WillKillz72923
Summary: Third chapter coming out soon. I suck at summaries, so please review.
1. Introducing Both Worlds

Chapter 1: Beginning of Strife, End of Hardship

**Beforehand, let me say that this is a NaruSaku fanfic, but I mixed my two friends who are "struggling to protect each other at all costs". I've known them for a few years, and the stuff they've been through makes me want to cry. However, this is different...I'm making a life worth living for them in this fanfic. They WILL be happy finally... Oh yeah, and I don't own Naruto. Besides, both Naruto and Sakura are 17, and this is long after Pein's death. Personally, I don't care about Sasuke, so he'll only come in when I have**

Lady Tsunade just sent them on a simple escort mission...who knew the two people they are to protect will influence their lives so greatly? "COME ON BAA-CHAN, WHY DO WE GOTTA GO ON TH-", a fist soon connected to Naruto's skull...a fist he was all too familiar with. "NARUTO, SHUT IT BAKA!!!", Sakura practically screamed as she always did when disciplining the obnoxious blonde, mostly by force. "Sakura-chan, seriously though, a C-rank for a pair of Jounin like us?", said Naruto as he was slowly getting up from the room 30 feet away from his tenth indent through the right Hokage wall this week. "You really don't understand the severity of this mission, do you?", Sakura said in a matter-of-fact way. "We have to travel to another country, away from the entire continent we inhabit, take the two young clients we were assigned to, then risk our lives ten times over to bring them here for safe-haven!".

Naruto knew he was beat as soon as those words came out of Sakura's mouth, but at the same time felt like this will be a brand new adventure on his path to Hokage. "OK, sorry Sakura-chan...so how much time do we have to pack our stuff up then?", Naruto asked, knowing this mission was going to take a very long time to complete. Sakura could see in his sapphires she adored that he knew they were going to be gone for a long time. Tsunade simply heaved a big sigh, and mumbled "Two hours, and Naruto this mission will take a month just getting there". Naruto then looked at Tsunade with a confused look at first, but what he said next caught both Tsunade, and Sakura completely offguard. "Their life savings were only enough for a C-rank, wasn't it...Tsunade-sama? In that case, in order to permanently lose these gangsters, we have to hide them with us until we can escape back to Konoha so we can make them official citizens, thus protecting them from any kind of threat...am I right?"

Tsunade simply looked at him, awe-struck, while Sakura's jaw looked like it was going to fall of its hinges. "Naruto...how did you figure that out?!" Sakura said, still recovering from the sudden genious her normally dense teammate developed. Tsunade soon asked the same. Naruto meanwhile...he just stood there, silently. "Well, it kinda sounded like our Land of Waves mission, but knowing bullies & gangsters from personal experiences..." Tsunade visually cringed, but Sakura looked at him, waiting for him to continue, not realizing at first what he said last. "And from what you said about another country, I correlated it into two kids with nothing but each other, salvaging the money they could get to have us help them when no one else would, or could. This is one C-rank that I will ensure success, because we have a chance to save not one...but two pure hearts."

At those words, both Tsunade, and Sakura felt their hearts skip a beat. Naruto was about to say something when Tsunade softly said "Don't talk anymore...who are you, and what have you done to the baka I know?" Naruto knew he said something that hit home to both women in the room, but to have Tsunade say that to him...made him speechless in an instant. "...I...I-" Sakura interrupted the answer, saying "He knows when a person is of pure heart by just knowing...besides...he has a hell of a pure heart himself." Sakura slowly, and silently said just loud enough for both Naruto, and Tsunade to hear.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto slowly said. Now it was his turn to be surprised to no end. His mind was racing, he was about to have a sweatdrop, and his voice was getting shakier by the second. The woman he loved, his Sakura Haruno, not only said that to him, but he saw a visual blush on her face before she turned away. Tsunade looked at Naruto, then Sakura...and she felt a warm smile forming. "_Looks like someone is too shy to admit those oh-whatta-ya-call-them? Oh yeah...feelings" _Tsunade thought as her smile was getting slowly bigger. However, she needed to get them on their way, so the only way she knew how... "NARUTO, SAKURA, snap out of it, you have a mission to pack up for, remember?" Naruto, and Sakura simultaneously turned towards Tsunade, postures straightened, and stuttered swiftly, "H-H-Hai Hokage s-sama" Tsunade was just enjoying this, but she had to go over last details with them before they headed out. "Now that I've gotten your attention...here is your instructions, and your copies of the work papers. Sakura, you'll need the map, because Naruto sucks at directions. Go to Suna, and see the Kazekage. He will hand you over to Baki, who will escort you to your destination. You are to infiltrate a cargo ship taking supplies to a large fishing company in New Jersey. That is in your clients' region, so it should be very easy to get to your destination from there. You are hearby dismissed, good luck, take care of each other, and take care of the clients through & through" Naruto, and Sakura both nodded silently, and quickly headed out to their respected apartments to get ready for one hell of a mission.

* * *

It was the first time they ever had a moment like this. Alone on the third-floor balcony just...watching the sun set on the Sunnybrook Apartments. While the kids were playing a common soccer game on the small dirt field, the parents were about to chow down on some barbeued ckicken and some of Abuelita's famous bell pepper & jalapeno rice.

She was sitting next to him, both resting their heads on the sturdy brick chimney while soaking in the beautiful sun. Her name, Veronica; his name, Chuck...both best friends since they became teenagers. She was a beautiful girl; about 5'6, 105 lbs, long and shiny brown hair, light emerald eyes, hourglass figure, and a beautiful smile. He was not handsome in the least, but made up in kindness and talent; he was about 5'10, 180 lbs, long brown hair in a ponytail, brown eyes with a hint of hazel, a small stubble forming on his big face, and a big chest & stomach.

Veronica was wearing a green tee that was tied up to show her perfect abdomen, worn-out blue skinny jeans with a white spiked belt, and her own trademark black Converse with green laces. Chuck wore an oversized black tee, baggy navy-blue jeans, his old white Nike sneakers with his own blue laces, and his trademark beige & white flannel jacket hanging freely off of him.

"Chuck", Veronica whispered, getting Chuck's attention instantly with his eyes turning towards her. "Something wrong, V?", Chuck asked, using her old nickname. "Do you think our friends will be ok after we're gone? I mean, I just feel so bad for them now", Veronica asked slowly. Chuck said to her, "Of course they will. Besides, Will is the only one I told about this so we'll be ok. You know Will right?", and she slightly chuckled as she answered "The blonde kid with glasses that...", she was holding back a laugh as she continued, "made out with just about every girl you introduced him to at Cronin's party...including me, right?". Veronica looked at Chuck with innocent eyes, but still hoped he wasn't mad at Will. Chuck soon burst out laughing, "Of course...I...I...I DARED HIM TO DO THAT!!!" The look on her face after he said that brought tears of laughter come to his face in an instant. "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! THE LOOK ON YOUR FUCKIN FACE...PRICELESS I TELL YOU, PRICELESS!", he said as he was now clutching his sides, burning the image into his head for all eternity.

She was listening intently, about to bust out laughing...but after he finished his explanation, her face immediately transformed to wide eyes, her hands falling to her sides, and a major blush forming on her face. "COME ON, CHUCK! That's not right to dare a 15-year old to make out with random chicks older than him, you fucking pervert!", Veronica stated with the blush still there, but soon got an idea. "You know...he really was a good kisser though. I didn't want it to end, really..." It was the hard truth though, and she knew it. Will WAS a good kisser; nice and gentle, with an amazing tongue to boot. She was reaching for the camera in her purse while she was speaking, loading it to get that awkward shot she wouldn't forget. Chuck's face turned from laughing whole-heartedly, to going so wide-eyed Veronica thought his eyes were going to pop out. She quickly took out the camera and...SNAP!


	2. RIP Sensei, Wicked Game Plan

**_"_Time to continue on...**

* * *

Chapter 2: Getting Ready, Daily Trouble

_"Why did Sakura-chan say that? Why was she blushing? Wh-" "**SHUT UP KIT, KAMI-SAMA YOU ARE SO FUCKING DENSE!" **"What do you want Fox? Wait...what did you just say?!" **"I said you are dense, what you wanna know why?" **"Uh what the fuck do YOU think, almighty dickhead?" **"Keep the insults up, because you just got fucked over. You're too dense to comprehend what I was gonna say anyway." **"COME ON, FOX!!! You gotta be shittin' me...seriously though, what were you gonna tell me before I...interrupted the GREAT Kyuubi's wise words of wisdom?" **"That's better, good kit. Although I hate it when you're being a sarcastic prick to me, I've learned to respect you since that battle with that Pein asswipe." **"Oh Kyuubi I DO hope you're not getting soft on me NOW." **"My mates only saw my HARD side...unless you like me like th-" **"EW!!! What the FUCK???!!! I didn't need to hear that...AHHH, I GOT THAT IMAGE BURNED INTO MY HEAD, YOU BEASTIAL PERVERT!!!" **"HA!!! That enough torture for you, kit? That illusion in your head was a mild genjutsu so...DON'T GET COCKY YOU OBNOXIOUS FUCKER!!!" **"ENOUGH!!!......Anyway, what were you gonna tell me about that comment you made before we started that X-rated war of words?"**"Oh, that...Oh yeah I nearly forgot about that. Anyway, you saw that pink fairy girl blush over a simple comment like that, right?"**"..."** "I'll take that as a carry-on...when has she ever said something like that around you? Wanna answer, kit?" **"...uh...u-"** "NEVER, and you know it. You DO know how she acts around you, right?" **"...Don't remind me. Every time I see her, she either smiles and walks with me, or she punches me all the way to the Hokage Mountain and back."** "Exactly kit, so I'm only pondering on this but...I think she might...like...you..." **"...That hard for you to say, eh?" **"...OK?? Who am I talking to again?" **"Same little kit." **"Did you finally grow a pair and grow up?" **"Oh right, I only talk to you every now & then since our battle with Pein...my bad, never gave you the news-flash that I'm maturing mentally now." **"About fucking time, kit. I really got annoyed with your obnoxious attitu-" **"RAMEN-TTEBAYO!!!" **"...fuck my imprisonment vessel...I guess...RAMEN is still your only connection to your old self, huh?" **"I guess so, but you have to admit though...you can't blame me for it besides...Dad liked ramen too." **"Kit, don't put that on me please...you know why I did it." **"Orochimaru-teme killed your mates, you heard that he lived in Konoha, and you were hell-bent on killing him...even killing off citizens to find him, right?" **"How many times did I tell you that story again, kit? You sound like you heard it a lot from me, but I can't tell anymore." **"You told me after I found out about my parents. It's OK, you may be a demon king but even animals are only human." **"As much as I hate to admit it, very true indeed." **"I don't want to end here, but I've spent a little over a half an hour talking to you. I've got to prepare for that rescue mission with Sakura-chan, or I won't begin to describe what'll happen to me." **"True, go kit."** _

Naruto looked at the clock...it read 7:05 pm. "Tajuu Kage-Bunshin Jutsu!", yelled Naruto, clearly in a panic. He was five minutes late, still in his boxers, and had to pack up in record time to make Sakura's beating a little more bearable. He told her to meet him at his apartment at 7:15, but she's always five minutes early. He found a black muscle shirt with an orange tribal fox design running down the entire left arm, and his Jounin-standard black pants. One of his clones handed him his custom Jounin jacket; it was a midnight blue vest with both him and his late mentor's first initials on the first two pockets, with a red Kyyubi design over an orange Konoha symbol on the back.

He didn't care about the time now, but the memories those two initials held so close to him...were too priceless for time to take away. "Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya-sama...thank you for everything you both did for me..." Tears were slowly leaking from the blonde's eyes as his voice became shakier; he was on the verge of crying too hard to comprehend. "I...I-I'll never forget YOU BOTH! I'M GONNA MAKE YOU AND DAD PROUD TO KNOW THE GREATEST HOKAGE THAT EVER LIVED!!!" Naruto simply screamed to the heavens, not caring who heard him.

Tears were still streaming down his face as he slowly put on the beautiful vest, and rubbed his eyes desperately. After a good 30 seconds, he finally was able to calm down, get properly packed, and double-checked everything. He grabbed his old backpack, and turned to leave when...

He saw her..."Sakura-chan...how long were you h-". Sakura embraced him in a bone-crushing hug, sobbing into his chest as he tried to comprehend what was happening to him, and his straining rig-cage. He soon returned the embrace full-force, eyes getting watery all over again. "Sakura-chan, how long were you here?", he asked slowly, desperately trying not to spoil the moment. "I...heard you scream...saw you cry...then...I saw what you were holding...as soon as I saw you turn...I couldn't hold my emotions in...anymore."

"I'm sorry...for worrying you Sakura-chan, I didn-" was all he got out before...she put a finger on his lips, silencing him instantly. Sakura took the time he used to pause to rub her eyes clear of tears while saying sweetly, "Shut it. Don't say anymore, Naruto...besides...I like that look on you, but what about...ME?", Sakura asked, changing the subject quickly. Naruto slowly backed away, as his eyes trailed slowly up and down at Sakura's new uniform.

She was wearing a black dress that stopped at her mid thigh, showing the smooth legs he secretly adored, but over the top part was a blood red Jounin vest that had her Haruno clan symbol on the back. He hesitated slightly at her legs on the second look down, but continued on, hoping she wouldn't pound him for looking a little too long. All Naruto could say was "Wow, Sakura-chan...I'm speechless!". "Uh huh, sure...I should knock you through your apartment walls for staring at my legs, little perv." Sakura said, meant to scare Naruto a little. "True, anyways I'm ready, you're ready, so let's go!", he said, a little excited.

"Besides..." he said as they jumped from rooftop to rooftop. "What?", Sakura asked. "Who wouldn't stare at that view, Sakura-CHAN?", he teased. Sakura soon found herself blushing madly, as she gasped so loud, Naruto nearly crapped his pants as he was laughing like a little kid again. "NARUTO, YOU FUCKING PERVERT!! GET BACK HERE!!!......SHANNARO!!!!!!" They soon both found themselves laughing too loud for their own good as they soon disappeared into the trees outside of Konoha.

* * *

It was 11:36 pm in Tinton Falls...the party, the noise...the trouble...showed up as everyone was just enjoying themselves. Summertime was known for late-night blowouts, underground warehouse raids, secret concerts, and drinking wildly to most people in Tinton Falls, and Eatontown. Chuck, and Veronica just happened to go to the nearest warehouse raid that night, It just happened to be at the gutted Roller Rink Landmark Eatontown used to be famous for. The clever plotters remembered to bring a ladder, thick black curtains, and illegal sound-proofing devices that muted everything from the outside. What they also planned was to enter through the secret left-side entrance with everything they were gonna rock out with; the DJ, drum-set, microphones, guitars, and of course, the many kegs of beer.

"Holy shit, Veronica. We've haven't been here since we were kids.", Chuck said silently as they carefully stepped into the small underground entrance. Veronica dressed up for this raid; she was wearing a red dress that went to her upper-thigh, a black thong visible from Chuck's view. "Well?" Veronica asked Chuck, wanting to know his opinion, which was obvious as he simply stated "The most beautiful dress on the most beautiful girl". "You're so sappy, ya know? Come on, Chuck...let's rock the night AWAY!!!" Chuck simply nodded his head in agreement as they stepped onto the dance floor.

While everyone was dancing to Coheed and Cambria's "Welcome Home", a group of seven teens, about 17-21, joined the gathering. However, three of them split away from the group to join the two teens on the dance floor. The first one, about 19, was wearing a red tee with a black thermal under it, a black beanie, worn blue jeans, and American-style Nike Air-Forces started coming up behind Veronica. She was around five feet from Chuck, who was dancing like a skilled maniac. He started getting closer he was almost on her. He put his hands low around her waist, practically fingering distance for his long, cold fingers. Veronica felt it, gasped, shivered, turned around to see "JAY!!! CHUCK, HE-" Jay put a handcloth soaked with raw alcohol to her nose, knocking her out as she breathed in the stimulating fumes. His two friends came from the lurking shadows of the large crowd, about to haul her away when suddenly...

"HEY YOU FUCKING BASTARDS, LET GO OF HER!" said Chuck as he ran full-speed into one of Jay's friends, sending a blinding left hook to his left temple, and knocking him out cold. The fight had just begun however, as Jay's other friend stopped the assist to fight Chuck. He was around 6'1, 210 lbs, and about 20 years old; he was wearing mostly black, except for his shoes which were blood red Adidas'.

Chuck charged him straight-forward, dodging a right jab, and a left hook to squarely uppercut him...but he missed barely. The big guy, better known as Seth, head-butted Chuck, grabbed his shirt, and fired a right blow to the gut. Chuck was on the ground, clutching his stomach in agony. His vision was getting blurry, but his blood vision was just getting started. He needed help though, badly as Seth started kicking him in the ribs while he was getting down. Chuck was too stunned by the sharp pain to even speak, as he was sure Seth had to have bruised a few ribs, or even fractured one. Just as Seth was about to kick him again...

"HELL NO!!!" screamed a blonde teen as he jumped onto Seth's back, recoiling off of him back into the air. Just as Seth turned around to see who just took away his fight...he was slammed with deadly force the forehead by Will's right fist as he came down to the ground. Seth hit the ground, so hard that his head recoiled...only to be smashed in again by Will's left knee. The large blonde, weighing in at around 190, landed his knee dead-on with Seth's nose & mouth, breaking both the nose, and the jaw while knocking out four of his teeth.

Seth was beaten, badly, and needed medical attention. The party was over early for the late-night teens, as they quickly got out of the Eatontown landmark. Will had to help Chuck up, but he saw the one thing that would save Veronica...his blood vision. "Chuck, come on...let's hunt this traitorous bastard down before V pays the price..." he said urgently. "......OK...OK LET'S GO!!!" Chuck yelled as they both sprinted out of the main entrance. They didn't care who saw them, because all that mattered was to get Veronica away from Jay immediately. Will, who was much more skilled at using his variant of blood vision than Chuck, activated his by getting Chuck to punch him in the chest.

The blood vision was just about the only thing that could save V, unless they teamed up on him. As they sprinted at a fairly blistering pace of 25 miles per hour down the road, they saw Jay about a quarter of a mile up Reynolds Drive, a mile long stretch of neighborhood residence. "......Chuck, split the road, slither, then go for the blindside cross with a reverse People's elbow to each temple", said Will silently to Chuck as they went along basically undetected by Jay...or so they thought at first. "Chuck, expect there to be the rest of his gang guarding along perimeters M, G, E, K, O, and P. We need to land a clean hit to each of their nerve endings between the spine vertebrae lateral 3, 1, then the bottom of the skull, you got that down?" Will asked again silently. "...hm, let's bring home the bacon, kid.", Chuck silently said as they raced along.


End file.
